PGCertAdvanced Palliative and End of Life Care Management and Prescribing
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- 2025
- 2026
- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time
Why study an advanced palliative and end of life care management and prescribing PGCert at Solent University
Gain advanced skills, independent and supplementary prescribing rights and lead compassionate, personalised end-of-life care.
- £0minvested in our campus estate and facilities over the past five years
- 0thuniversity in the UK for low carbon emissions (THE 2023)
- The end-of-life care module is designed and delivered in partnership with Mountbatten Hospice Group leading specialists in palliative care.
- Students benefit from guest lectures and talks by experienced palliative care professionals and industry experts.
- The course integrates Immersive Simulation - Integrated into the curriculum on a weekly basis in history taking and physical assessment and occasionally in independent and supplementary prescribing
- Interact with service users who have complex drug regimens requires careful coordination, detailed medication review, and personalised communication to ensure safe and effective treatment management.
- The Independent and Supplementary Prescribing qualification is accredited by the NMC - this means you will be entitled to update your registration status to Independent and Supplementary Prescriber upon completion of this PGCert.
- Learn in low-fidelity simulation scenarios applied to prescribing provide a simplified, controlled environment for practicing and refining basic prescribing skills and decision-making.
- Students have access to our specialist nursing facilities, including a nursing simulation suite with a six-bed ward, GP consulting room, nurse's treatment room, care home bedroom, and a range of clinical equipment including simulation mannequins.
- Every student at Solent University will also have the option to study an additional Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence qualification alongside their course. Free of charge, the course ensures you'll be prepared for a fantastic and varied career after graduation.
Course overview
This postgraduate programme is designed for registered nurses who aim to enhance their expertise in providing compassionate, evidence-based care for patients approaching the end of life. In line with the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan's focus on developing specialist roles, this programme prepares professionals to deliver exceptional end-of-life care, ensuring dignity, comfort, and clinical excellence.
The course also covers essential pharmacology to ensure safe prescribing practices, with a strong emphasis on merging theoretical knowledge with clinical application. Students will engage with various scenarios leading to prescriptions, encouraging reflective practice and the use of local and national guidelines to inform their decisions.
The programme includes two 30-credit modules: Palliative and End of Life Care, focusing on the delivery of holistic, patient-centred care, supporting physical, emotional, psychological, and social needs of service users and relatives at the end of life; and Independent and Supplementary Prescribing, offering the necessary knowledge and skills to prescribe safely and effectively, ensuring that care is managed and tailored real-time without delays or limitations.
The Palliative and End of Life Care module will be delivered in partnership with Mountbatten Hospice Group who provide inpatient and community palliative and end of life care across the Isle of Wight, Southampton and parts of Hampshire.
Experts from across the multi-professional team will deliver teaching, based on best practice and their knowledge and experience. Teaching will be interactive and based on case scenarios to support application of theory into practice.Â
Through this course, professionals will be equipped with the competencies to address the complex needs of patients nearing the end of life, incorporating both clinical decision-making and compassionate care. The programme emphasises the need to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills in palliative care settings, which aims to meet rising demand from the NHS and improve role retention through targeted education.Â
Our strong links with NHS trusts, hospices, and community providers offer real-world learning and placement opportunities. And the teaching team are active clinicians, ensuring course content is up to date with current best practices.
This programme is vital for addressing the shortage of palliative care practitioners across the UK and will provide graduates with the essential skills, knowledge, and experience, that are instrumental in meeting the increasing demand for personalised palliative care.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂCourse features
Specialist facilities
This course has access to specialist facilities
Part-time option
You can study this course part-time
This course is for
This course is designed to provide registered nurses, with at least one year of post-registration experience, who are looking to develop specialist skills, with the knowledge and skills to deliver best practice palliative and end of life care in their area of practice.Â
What this course leads to
You'll develop skills needed to make safe clinical decisions when assessing service users with diverse health needs across all healthcare settings.
- Nurses with specialist skills to deliver best practice palliative and end of life care
Meet the team
Learn from qualified staff with a wealth of experience working in a range of clinical settings.
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
You’ll have access to a range of our specialist facilities, including a nursing simulation suite with a six bed ward, GP consulting room, nurse’s treatment room, waiting area/break out space, care home bedroom and working kitchen and bathroom. There is a wide range of clinical equipment including simulation manikins to facilitate various simulated scenarios.
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces.
Year one
Core modules
Palliative and End of Life Care
This module is designed to provide registered practitioners with the knowledge and skills to deliver best practice palliative and end of life care in their area of practice. Students will develop confidence and skills in communication, assessment, management and care approaches for supporting and working with patients and families requiring palliative and end of life care, as well as emotional intelligence and resilience. Practice will be underpinned by acquiring knowledge of the current frameworks and policies, existing theory and research that will be critically examined to enhance sound judgement and decision making when applying knowledge into practice.
Independent and Supplementary Prescribing
This module was designed to respond to a demand from NHS and Health Education England to educate more prescribers to attend the demands of the population. Students are expected to have developed competencies in the scope of Advanced Practice to ingress on the module and will be taught how to critique scientific evidence related to drug trials to support rational drug prescribing. On the module you will be taught pharmacology, considerations for prescribing over the life cycle, in liver and renal disease and how to critique scientific evidence related to drug trials to support your practice. Students are expected to apply what they have learnt into their clinical practice under the supervision of a practice supervisor along the duration of the course, considering local and national guidelines around prescribing. This course incorporates the main domains of the Competency Framework for All Prescribers (2021) and attends to dilemmas around professional accountability, ethical and psycho-social influences that may influence prescribing practice. This course incorporates the main domains of the Competency Framework for All Prescribers (2021) and attends to dilemmas around professional accountability, ethical and psycho-social influences that may influence prescribing practice. Upon completion of this module, students will be able to update their registration to Independent and Supplementary Prescribers on their professional register (NMC).
Learning resources
At Solent, our aim is to deliver innovative, inclusive and intellectually stimulating teaching to develop self-confident and highly employable graduates. All our courses are designed with employability in mind, which makes industry-based learning a priority.
Learn transferable skills
Through this course you'll develop critical thinking and ethical decision-making, enabling you to navigate complex psychosocial, spiritual, and clinical aspects of palliative and end-of-life care. You can gain in-depth understanding of pharmacology, prescribing principles, and relevant legislation to support safe, accountable practice.
Advance your clinical reasoning and holistic assessment skills to create personalised care plans, including complex prescribing and deprescribing decisions. Develop effective teamwork and communication skills to collaborate confidently within multidisciplinary teams, to demonstrate your professional accountability and adherence to governance.
Reflective practice and quality improvement skills, empower you to evaluate and enhance service delivery in your own clinical settings.
Why choose advanced palliative and end of life care management and prescribing?
This programme is vital for addressing the shortage of palliative care practitioners across the UK. Careers in this field such as palliative care specialist nurse, offer the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by providing compassionate, holistic support to patients and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. This course equips students with advanced clinical, communication, and decision-making skills that are highly valued by employers, ensuring graduates are prepared to meet the rising demand for skilled palliative care practitioners across a variety of healthcare settings.
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Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
- You must be a Level 1 Registered Nurse with a minimum of one year’s post-registration experience [or the part-time equivalent] before starting the course, with no restrictions on your practice.
- You will need an enhanced DBS Disclosure with no declarations.
- You must have a named practice assessor and supervisor who both meet our quality assurance standards. They must be practitioners in palliative care and qualified as independent and supplementary prescribers.
Key entry requirements
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application and to take a look at our course entry statement document.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂYour application checklist
Applications for postgraduate courses can be made at any time prior to the start of the course. However, we strongly recommend you apply at your earliest convenience.
Please ensure you upload the following mandatory documents with your application:
- Two academic references.
- Certified transcripts of qualifications, including English language proficiency if non-UK student.
- Copy of passport.
- Copy of current visa (if applicable).
- A personal statement.
- Employer sponsor form, where appropriate.
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.5 overall with no component score below 5.5
- TOEFL IBT 92 with a minimum of 22 in writing and a minimum of 20 in reading, listening and speaking
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 100 in each component or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Study options


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- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time